Way to go Austin!! 💪
When he first walked into Marine Staff Recruiter Caros Reinhold’s office, he had a long way to go to achieve his goal of becoming a Marine.
“When he said he wanted to be a Marine, I took that to heart,” Reinhold said. “It meant a lot to me.”“I was willing to take him under my wing, help him out and show him everything I could,” Reinhold said. “It was worth it. He is an outstanding young man.” With a bit of help from Reinhold and a lot of determination and work, Stephens lost more than 100 pounds in a year.
“I looked at myself, and I looked at Staff Sergeant Reinhold and Sergeant Kohrs and other Marines when I realized I needed to hold myself to a higher standard,” Stephens said.“It is a family. I am excited to be a part of it,” Stephens said.“For Austin, it wasn’t, ‘I have to lose 100 pounds tomorrow.’ He did it a day at a time,” Reinhold said. “You can’t take the whole situation and accomplish it at once. Set a goal, set how you will get there, and keep pushing.
Stephens is starting boot camp in San Diego this weekend. He said he plans to specialize in cyber security in the U.S. Marine Corps.